Ejection apparatus



ET AL 3,459,099

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJI EJECTION APPARATUS C. J. LITZ, JR,

Aug. 5, 1969 Filed June 11. 1968 R Y M I M WW R w J T S M E OM 0 RN AN HE L w 2 M.

ET AL C- J. LITZ. JR.

EJECTION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 m s. MZT U N N m L EJ.L 00M m S m N 2T [ER A mm x 9 .v mm M a, 1 N .l 4: L 8

o Qv Filed June 11. 1968 Aug. 5, 19 69 1-z, JR" ET AL 3,459,099

EJECTION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 11. 1968 I INVENTORJ, CHARLES J. LITZ JR. LENNORD L. PITNEY X1 10.1 at W m M ATTORNEYI.

c. J. LITZ. JR. ET AL 3,459,099

Aug. 5, 1969 EJEC'IION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-$heet 4.

Filed June 11, 1968 INVENTORS, CHARLES J. LITZ JR.

LENNORD 1.. PITNEY 5! *J-W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,459,099 EJECTION APPARATUS Charles J. Litz, Jr., Levittown, and Lennord L. Pitney, Chalfont, Pa., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed June 11, 1968, Ser. No. 736,131 Int. Cl. F41f /02 US. CI. 89-15 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An aircraft having means for upwardly ejecting a bomb or weapon therefrom to facilitate low level drop maneuvers. A propellant charge is generated to evenly distribute pressure gas below a pair of horizontally spaced piston arrangements, the cylinders of which each contain an aluminum snubber to absorb residual energy in a balanced braking manner.

The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, and licensed by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to ejection apparatus and, more particularly, to an upwardly directed bomb ejection arrangement for an accurate aircraft weapon delivery system.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an accurate low level weapon delivery arrangement for aircraft or guided missile systems in which the weapon is rapidly released with resultant minimum reaction forces upon the aircraft or weapons delivery platform.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement in which maximum velocity is imparted to the weapon in a minimum length of stroke.

These and other objects, advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an aircraft having a weapon delivery system embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal, partial sectional view of the weapon delivery system taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with certain parts partially broken away in section.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 with parts broken away in section.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the gas generator used in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

The aircraft 10 (FIG. 1) has the capacity to upwardly release a weapon or bomb 11, or other cargo, at'a relatively low altitude above a target containing terrain 12 for accurately delivering element 11, preferably having an attached parachute 13, to the desired target after an upper hatch or door 14 has been removed by any suitable means.

The upright element 11 is appropriately mounted upon a transversely extending platform 15 (FIGS. 2, 3, 4) which is of an X-configuration and has its bifurcated ends 16, 17 threadedly secured to respective ones of two pairs of vertical platform connecting rods 18 the upper ends of which are threaded into a corresponding one of a pair of interconnecting yokes 20, 21. The yokes 20', 21 have midportions which are threadedly connected to reduced upper portions of respective hollow piston tubes 23, 24 each tube having a centrally apertured lower piston head 25 carrying an O-ring seal 26 and slidably mounted in the corresponding cylinder 27, 27. Each piston head 25 has a reduced portion 28 having a diameter slightly larger than the corresponding rod 23, 24 that is integrally connected with its head therethrough. The annular flange 30, interconnecting head portion 28 and tube 23 or 24, is preferably of conical contour and normally seats a lower rounded or tapered lower surface portion of a corresponding annular or cylindrical aluminum snubber 31 which is elevated with its respective stroking piston within each cylinder 27, 27. When the snubbers 31 strike the cylinder caps 32, they are penetratingly deformed by and arrestingly absorb the energy of the upwardly moving steel piston portions 28 and associated yokes, rods 18 and platform 15.

Each of the piston tubes 23, 24 (FIG. 2) is of hollow configuration a substantial portion of its length, and each cylinder 27 has an exhaust port 34 in its sidewall at a predetermined elevation, such that residual pressure gas in and below the pistons can be relieved after the snubbers 31 have begun to function as the respective piston heads 25 have been elevated above the then uncovered ports 34.

Appropriate mounting clamps or brackets 40 and bolts 41 are provided for securing the upper ends of cylinders 27, 27 to an aircraft frame structure 42. Similarly, the bracket portion 40A of a cylinder lower end cap 39 and bolts 41A permit securement to a relatively lower frame portion 42A.

Similar branch conduits 45, 46 connect the intermediate T-shaped manifold or fitting 47 with corresponding openings in the cylinder lower end caps 39, 39 to deliver pressure gas developed in generator 50 (FIGS. 3, 5) to the underside of and within the piston elements for rapidly elevating the yokes, platform and connecting rods to thereby upwardly eject the weapon 11, from the aircraft.

At one end of the generator tube 50 (FIG. 5), containing a propellant charge cartridge 51 and associated percussion cap (not shown), and appropriate end cap 52 is threadedly secured. The end cap 52 contains a suitably initiated firing pin 54 and its retaining or shear pin 55. At the other end of generator tube 50 a filter cup 57 is assembled adjacent the threadedly attached manifold 47. The filter cup includes a plurally apertured plate 58 for controllingly delivering high pressure gas developed within tube 50 to the T-shaped manifold 47 which dis tributes a somewhat lower pressure gas to the power pistons 25. In this manner, a maximum efiiciency is obtained for a given propellant charge.

Adjacent manifold 47, the generator tube 50 has an enlarged or thickened wall portion 60 (FIGS. 5, 6) and diametrically opposed apertures 61, 62 in further beefed up areas thereof facilitate employment of a rupture disc 63, with its associated securing nut 64 and centering ring 65, and a removable sealing plug 66, respectively. Excessive developed gas pressure is exhausted or vented through gas generator port 61 upon rupturing of disc 63 at a predetermined pressure. The plug 66 can be replaced by an appropriate pressure gauge (not shown) when it is desired to determine the pressure on the delivery side of filter 57 under test conditions.

Various modifications, changes or alterations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an aircraft having means for upwardly ejecting weapon means carried thereby, said upward ejection means comprising a pair of laterally spaced hollow cylinders,

a hollow integral, steel piston element slidably mounted in each of said cylinders, each of said piston elements including a centrally apertured, lower head portion carrying an O-ring seal, a substantially hollow piston rod, and a reduced head portion intermediate said lower head portion and said rod, said reduced head portion having an outer diameter slightly larger than said rod to define an interconnecting flange,

an annular aluminum snubber surrounding each rod and normally resting upon its flange,

a centrally apertured cap threadedly secured to an upper end of each cylinder and adapted to engage the corresponding snubber upon actuation of said piston elements,

a pair of yokes each having a mid-point thereof threadedly connected to a reduced upper portion of each piston rod and a pair of end portions threadedly connected to respective upper ends of platform connecting rods,

a platform for supporting said weapon means between said cylinders and having bifurcated ends which are threadedly secured to corresponding lower portions of said connecting rods, and

means for delivering pressure gas to said cylinders below said piston elements to elevate s'aid platform for launching said weapon means.

4 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said pressure gas delivering means includes a tube containing a propellant cartridge, means on one end of said tube for igniting said cartridge, a filtering cup in the other end of said tube, and

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1951 Musser 891.5 X 7/1956 Paddon 244-122 SAMUEL W. ENGLE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 244122, 137 

